The New York State Committee on Open Government’s 2024 annual report lays out the various problems with the state’s current transparency laws, and highlights a significant number of legislative proposals that aim to address them. 

Thoughts of suicide were reported by 16 percent of first responders, which is four times higher than the general population in New York state.

The society Carter Woodson founded in 1916, now called the Association for the Study of African American Life and History, sets a theme every year for Black History Month. This year’s theme is African Americans and Labor.

The state’s SNUG program uses a public-health approach to address gun violence by identifying the source; interrupting transmission; and treating individuals, families, and communities affected by the violence. In Albany County in 2024, there were 52 shooting incidents in which people were injured, down 7 percent from 2023; 63 people were injured by gunfire, down 10 percent; and seven people were killed by gunfire in 2024.

ALBANY COUNTY — Thirty not-for-profit organizations and school districts were presented with a total of over $725,000 in grants from the Albany County Legislature on Friday.

With the stroke of a pen, McCoy became the latest in a line of public officials from across the country to acknowledge that, while biosolids have been used to fertilize farms for years, recent research has raised concerns about health and environmental issues

ALBANY COUNTY — Two state grants have netted Albany County over $1.4 million for emergency response and communications systems.

Halsey’s long-lost collection of lichen within a 50-mile radius of New York City lets scientists understand the area’s pre-industrial lichen communities.

New York State’s annual commemoration of the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. will be presented as a statewide broadcast event, “We Press On: New York State Celebrates the Legacy of Dr.